Office fit out and refurbishment in London
Andrews Building & Decorating carries out office refurbishment in London from our base in Beckenham. We redecorate, plaster, repair and refinish existing offices, including offices that stay open while we work, across South East London and, for larger jobs, the South East of England.
Get a quote for your office refurbishment
Refurbishment or fit-out?
The two words get used as if they meant the same thing, but they describe different jobs.
Office fit-out
An office fit-out makes an empty space usable. A Cat A fit-out (Category A) takes a bare shell to a basic, lettable standard: raised floors, suspended ceilings, lighting, heating and cooling, and finished walls. A Cat B fit-out (Category B) then shapes that space for one tenant: meeting rooms, kitchens, furniture, IT and branding. Fit-out is usually led by design-and-build firms that handle the design, the building services and the furniture.
Office refurbishment
An office refurbishment improves an office that already works: new decoration, repaired walls and ceilings, new floors, a refreshed kitchen or washroom. It is the right route when the layout suits you and the space looks tired, or when you need to hand an office back at the end of a lease.
The second kind of job is ours. We are painters, decorators and builders: we repair, redecorate and refinish offices that already exist, working to your colours, your brand or a scheme your designer has drawn up.
Redecorating an occupied office
The job has to fit round people who are still at their desks.
Working in zones
We split the office into areas, such as reception, meeting rooms, a floor or a run of desks, and finish one before we open up the next. You agree the order with us, so the rooms you use most, or the ones clients see, are ready when you need them.
Evenings and weekends
Where the office cannot spare a room during the day, the work can be planned for evenings or weekends. We plan each shift so the area can go back into use the next working day.
The building's rules
Offices in shared buildings come with their own conditions: keys and alarm codes, security sign-in, a goods lift that has to be booked, and permits to work. We agree these with your facilities manager or the building manager before we start, not on the night.
Protecting desks and IT
Desks, chairs and equipment are moved or covered before any preparation starts, and we agree with you in advance what your staff clear themselves. Screens, computers and server cupboards stay covered while there is sanding or dust. Floors and carpets are protected along every route we use.
Smell and drying
Water-based, low-odour paints and ventilation after each shift keep the smell down, but any fresh paint has some. If a room has to be in use first thing, we plan the coats so it has the longest time to dry, and leave the slowest-drying finishes, such as gloss on doors, for a weekend where we can.
Clean at the end of each shift
Dust sheets are lifted, rubbish is taken away and surfaces are wiped down before we leave, so your staff come back to a clean office.
Finishes that last
Corridors, receptions and kitchens take a lot of wear, so they need a washable, hard-wearing finish rather than a standard matt. We can match your brand colours and keep the same colours across every floor.
Older offices can also raise questions about asbestos, construction health and safety, and noisy work such as machine sanding outside the hours the council allows. We explain how those are handled on our page for commercial painters and decorators in London.
What an office refurbishment covers
Inside an office, the work usually takes in receptions, meeting and board rooms, open-plan areas, kitchens, washrooms, corridors and stairs. We work on walls, ceilings, doors, frames, skirting boards and other woodwork. A refurbishment is often a mix of these services of ours.
Commercial painting & decorating
Walls, ceilings and woodwork redecorated in your colours or your brand's.
Plastering & repairs
Damaged walls filled and replastered before they are redecorated.
Wallpaper hanging & removal
Old wallpaper stripped before painting, or new wallpaper hung where you want it.
Flooring & floor sanding
A new floor laid, or a timber floor sanded and sealed.
Kitchens
A worn staff kitchen or tea point replaced.
Bathrooms
Washrooms and toilets refitted.
Redecoration at the end of a lease
When a commercial lease ends, the landlord may send a schedule of dilapidations: a list of what they consider the tenant has not done under the lease, the works needed to put it right and, where relevant, their costings.
The Dilapidations Protocol, which applies to commercial property in England and Wales, says the schedule should separate these breaches into categories, for example repair, reinstatement and redecoration. It does not define those words. What you have to do depends on the terms of your lease.
We carry out the redecoration and repair items on a schedule, whether you want the work done before you hand the office back or you are agreeing the list with your landlord. What the lease requires, and whether a claim is fair, is a question for your surveyor or solicitor.
Before you start
Check your lease first. Many office leases set out when and how the tenant redecorates, and alterations such as new partitions usually need the landlord's consent.
It helps to have to hand:
- the floor plan, or a list of the rooms and areas in the job;
- your design, colour references or the schedule of dilapidations, if there is one;
- the building's rules for contractors and the hours we can have access.
With those, we have what we need to price the job. When you are ready, contact Andrews Building & Decorating.
How a job works with us
- 01
Tell us about the job
Use the form or give us a call. Let us know what needs doing, where the property is and roughly when you'd like the work done. Photos help us understand the job.
- 02
We look at the work
Where the job needs it, we come and see it before we price it, so we can check the surfaces, the access and what preparation is needed.
- 03
You get a written quote
The quote sets out what we will do, the preparation, the finishes and the areas included, so you can compare it and ask questions before you agree.
- 04
We agree the details
We agree the start date with you, and which areas we work in and when.
- 05
The work, and a tidy finish
We protect the areas around the work, keep you updated as the job goes on, and leave the place clean when we finish.
Frequently asked questions
Call 020 8249 7303
How much does an office refurbishment cost?
Mostly the scope of the work: repainting walls and ceilings in the current colours is the lightest job, while repairs, wallpaper, new floors or a new staff kitchen each add to it. Work limited to evenings and weekends can also cost more, because the same work is spread over more, shorter shifts. We price each area and each part of the job separately, so if the total is over your budget you can take an area or an item out.
How long does it take to paint or refurbish an office?
Most of the time goes on drying between coats: a trade matt emulsion such as Dulux Trade Diamond Matt needs 4 to 6 hours before it can be recoated, according to its data sheet, and filled repairs have to dry before they are painted. So we plan a room with repairs and two coats over more than one evening, or on a weekend day when the first coat has time to dry, and tell you how many shifts each area needs once we have seen it.
Do we have to redecorate at the end of our office lease?
Only if your lease requires it. Many commercial leases include a redecoration covenant, and a landlord's schedule of dilapidations can list redecoration alongside repair and reinstatement, so check the lease with your surveyor or solicitor first.
Do we need an architect or designer first?
Not for a refresh in your current colours: a list of the rooms and the finishes you want is enough for us to price it. For a new layout or a new look, bring the drawings or scheme your designer has prepared and we price from those.
Get a free site visit and written quote
Tell us where the job is and what needs doing. Every inquiry gets an answer within one working day.